Veneer taping machine



April 23, 1957 R. A. MURPHY VENEER TAPING MACHINE Filed Feb. '7, 1956 Ra man ur uhy 2%,... 93,? Hi

United States Patent 2,789,600 VENEER TAPING MACHINE Raymond A. Murphy, Kalama, Wash., assignor to Columbia Veneer Company, Seattle, Wash., a corporation of Washington Application February 7, 1956, Serial No. 563,880 Claims. (Cl. 144-279) the layers. This unit then is hot pressed to form the plywood product.

In taping together the abutting edges of the veneers care must be taken to insure that the edges are properly positioned relative to each other. This presents a difiicult problem since the veneers move rapidly through the taping machine. Also, edges often are of different thickness because of the presence or absence of spring or summer wood. Still further, irregularities may be present in the edge surfaces. I

As a consequence, the veneers tend to overlap one another, whereupon the overlapped margins are crushed as they pass through the tape applying mechanism. This produces an imperfect taped joint.

It accordingly is the general object of the present invention to provide a guide for use in conjunction with the various commercial veneer taping machines, and the other classes of apparatus used in edge uniting sheet materials, which guide maintains rapidly moving, juxtaposed, co-planar sheets of material in proper edge abuttmg relation to each other during the uniting operation even though the edges are of uneven thickness and have irregularities in their edge surfaces.

The manner in which the foregoing and other objects of this invention are accomplished will be apparent from the accompanying specification and claims considered together with the drawings, wherein like numerals indicate like parts and wherein:

Pig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the herein described guide mounted in a conventional veneer taping machine;

Fig. 2 is a view in back elevation of the guide illustrated in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the presently described guide.

Broadly stated, the presently described guide comprises a substantially horizontal presser foot adapted to press downwardly on the abutting edges of co-planar, juxtaposed, traveling pieces of wood veneer or other pieces of material. A spring arm is connected to the presser foot and extends obliquely upwardly therefrom in the infeed direction. A substantially vertical bracket arm is attached to the spring arm. These three members, i. e. the presser foot, the spring arm, and the bracket arm preferably are formed integrally from a single bar of resilient metal.

Means are provided for attaching the bracket arm adjustably to a structural member of the apparatus. Also, a guide plate is attached to the lower portion of the spring arm. It extends obliquely upwardly therefrom and a substantial distance laterally thereof. In this manner the traveling veneers are guided beneath the presser Drive roll 12 is set in .thickness, to adjust for wear, etc.

2,789,600 7 Patented Ap r. 23, 1957 2 foot which maintains them in position and prevents them from overlapping pending application of the tape or other joining means.

Considering the foregoing in greater detail and with particular reference to the drawings:

Figs. 1 and 3 illustrate the principal working parts of a conventional plywood taping machine. It comprises a table 10 having an opening therethrough. A driven feed roll 12 having a rough peripheral surface and connected to a suitable source of power is mounted for rotation in this opening. It cooperates with a pair of converging idler feed rolls 14, 16 rotatably mounted on brackets 18.

. Gummed tape 20 is 'fed from a suitable source about guide 22 and between table 10 and a press roll 24. This roll is rotatably mounted between brackets 26.

In the operation of this machine, wood veneers 28, 30 are placed flat on a feed table from which they are fed to an aligning mechanism (butterfly) 32 having for its function the alignment of the juxtaposed edges of the veneers. The veneers thereafter are fed between feed rolls 12-16 which bring the edges into tightly abutting relationship. Tape 20 then is applied and pressed down by press roll 24. The resulting composite veneer sheet then may be transferred to the press.

To assist in the foregoing operation the herein described guide, indicated generally at 34, is placed between the aligning mechanism 32 and feed rolls 12-16. It comprises a presser foot 36'which may be inserted between the rolls and which presses the adjacent margins of veneer sheets 28, 30 firmly against roll 12.

Presser foot 36 is maintained resiliently in its operative position by use of spring arm 38 to which it is connected. This arm extends obliquely upwardly from the presser foot in the infeed direction. It is connected to a substantially vertical bracket arm 40. Preferably presser foot 36, spring arm 38 and bracket arm 40 are formed integrally from an angularly bent bar of resilient metal.

It also is preferred to include means for adjusting the vertical position of presser foot 36 to accommodate the herein described guide for use with veneers of different Accordingly bracket arm 40 may be formed with one or more spaced slots 44, 46 dimensioned to receive screws 48, 50 respectively. These are threaded into openings in frame member 42 so that they may be clamped down on arm 40 when the latter is in the selected position of vertical adjustment.

Guide means are provided for guiding the veneer sheets beneath presser foot 36. This is of particular importance when each pair of veneer sheets is first being introduced into the apparatus. In the illustrated form the guide means comprises a guide plate 52 which may be welded or otherwise aflixed to the lower portion of spring arm 38. Plate 52 extends obliquely upwardly in the infeed direction intermediate between arm 38 and table 10. It is of suflicient lateral dimension to provide a substantial guiding surface.

Operation In operating the herein described guide in conjunction with a veneer taping machine, the vertical position of the guide relative to table 10 first is adjusted to suit the feed by means of bolts 48, 50, working in slots 44, 46. motion and veneers 28, 30 are fed into the right and left hand channels, respectively, of aligning member 32. As they leave this member they are guided by plate 52 of the herein described guide beneath presser foot 36 thereof. This member holds them down securely, preventing them from overlapping even though they are of different thicknesses and have irregular edges. Adhesive tape 20 is applied to the juxtaposed edges after they pass beneath the presser foot 36. The tape then is presseddown on the joint by means of press roll 24 and securely unites the two veneers.

It thus will be apparent that by the present invention, I have provided a guide for use in edge. uniting sheets of material, particularly wood veneers, which guide is readily adaptable for use with the conventional veneer taping machines and other edge uniting mechanisms. When used in conjunction with these machines it effectively maintains the juxtaposed edges in proper relationship to each other and prevents them from overrunning. As a consequence, perfect joints are obtained and production is increased substantially.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be considered a preferred illustration of the same and that various changes may be made in the shape, size and relationship of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A guide for use in edgeuniting sheets of material which comprises a substantially horizontal presser foot adapted to press downwardly on the abutting edges of substantially co-planar, juxtaposed, traveling sheets of material, a spring arm connected to the presser foot and extending obliquely upwardly therefrom, a bracket arm attached to the spring arm, means for attaching the bracket arm to a structural member, and a guide plate attached to the lower portion of the spring arm and extending laterally thereof and obliquely divergent therefrom.

2 The guide of claim 1 wherein the presser foot, spring arm, and bracket armcomprise an integral, angu-.

Iarly bent bar of resilient metal.

3. The guide of claim 1 including means on-the bracket arm for adjustingits vertical position and hence the vertical position of the presser foot.

4. The guide of claim 3 wherein the upper portion of the bracket arm is slotted and the means for adjusting its vertical position comprise screw means penetrating the slot and a structural member and adapted to be tightened down in a selected position on the bracket arm, thereby frictionally engaging the same.

5. A guide for use in edge uniting wood veeners which comprises a substantially horizontal presser foot adapted to press downwardly on the abutting edges of co-planar, juxtaposed, traveling sheets of veneer, a spring arm connectedto the presser foot and extending obliquely upwardly therefrom in the infeed direction, a substantially vertical slotted bracket arm attached to the spring arm, the presser foot, spring arm and bracket arm being formed integrally of an angularly bent strip of resilient metal, screw clamp means adapted to penetrate both the slot in the bracket arm and a structural member on which the bracket arm is adapted to be mounted, thereby enabling positioning the presser foot, in a selected position of vertical adjustment, and aguide plate attached to the lower portion of the spring arm and extending laterally thereof and obliquely divergent therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Dennis. V D c- 26, .1911 

